The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the ESV. Switch to the ESV to read along with the audio.
10 Then I looked, and suddenly, on the dome over the heads of the k’ruvim, there appeared above them something like sapphire that seemed to take the form of a throne. 2 He spoke to the man clothed in linen; he said, “Go in between the wheels under the k’ruvim, fill both your hands with fiery coals from between the k’ruvim, and throw them on the city.” As I watched, he went. 3 Now the k’ruvim were standing to the right of the house when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner courtyard. 4 The glory of Adonai rose from above the keruv to the threshold of the house, leaving the house filled with the cloud and the courtyard full of the brilliance of Adonai’s glory. 5 The sound of the wings of the k’ruvim could be heard even in the outer courtyard sounding like the voice of God, Shaddai, when he speaks.
6 When he ordered the man clothed in linen to take fire from between the wheels, from between the k’ruvim, he went in and stood next to a wheel; 7 and a keruv put out his hand from between the k’ruvim into the fire between the k’ruvim, took some of it, and put it in the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
8 Now there appeared among the k’ruvim the form of a man’s hand under their wings. 9 I looked and saw four wheels next to the k’ruvim, one wheel next to one keruv and another wheel next to another keruv: the wheels had the color of beryl. 10 Their shape was the same for all four, like a wheel inside a wheel. 11 When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions without turning as they moved; rather, wherever the head looked, they followed without turning as they moved. 12 Their whole bodies, including their backs, hands and wings, and also the wheels, were full of eyes all around — even the wheels of the four k’ruvim. 13 As for the wheels, I heard them called “the wheel apparatus.” 14 Every one [of the k’ruvim] had four faces: the first face was the face of a keruv, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15 Then the k’ruvim rose. These were the living creatures I had seen by the K’var River. 16 When the k’ruvim moved, the wheels went with them; and when the k’ruvim lifted their wings to rise off the ground, these wheels did not stop going with them. 17 When [the k’ruvim] stood still, [the wheels] stood still; and when the former rose, the latter rose with them; because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18 Now the glory of Adonai left the threshold of the house and halted above the k’ruvim. 19 The k’ruvim lifted their wings and rose off the earth — I was watching as they went off with the wheels next to them. They paused at the entrance to the east gate of Adonai’s house, with the glory of the God of Isra’el over them, from above.
20 This was the living creature I had seen beneath the God of Isra’el by the K’var River, so I knew they were k’ruvim. 21 Each of the four had four faces, and each had four wings, and what looked like a man’s hands was under their wings. 22 As for how their faces looked, they were the faces I had seen by the K’var River, identical in appearance. Each one moved straight ahead.
11 Then a spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of Adonai’s house, the gate that faces eastward. At the entrance of the gate I saw twenty-five men; among them were Ya’azanyah the son of ‘Azur and P’latyahu the son of B’nayahu, leaders of the people. 2 He said to me, “Human being, these are the men who make evil plans and give wicked advice in this city. 3 They say, ‘The time hasn’t come to build houses. This city is the cooking pot, and we’re the meat!’ 4 Therefore prophesy against them, human being, prophesy!” 5 The Spirit of Adonai fell on me, and he said to me, “Say, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “What you are saying is correct, house of Isra’el; because I know how your minds work. 6 You have killed many in this city, you have filled its streets with the dead.” 7 Therefore Adonai Elohim says this: “Those you have killed and strewn all over it, they are the meat; and this city is indeed the cooking pot; but you will be removed from it. 8 You are afraid of the sword, but I will bring the sword upon you,” says Adonai Elohim. 9 “I will bring you out of it, hand you over to foreigners and execute judgments among you. 10 You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Isra’el; and you will know that I am Adonai. 11 This city will not be your cooking pot, but you will be the meat in it — I will judge you at Isra’el’s frontier; 12 and you will know that I am Adonai. For you have not lived by my laws or obeyed my rulings but have acted according to the rules of the nations surrounding you.”’”
13 As I was prophesying, P’latyahu the son of B’nayah died. I fell down on my face and cried out, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! Are you going to destroy completely those of Isra’el who are left?” 14 Then the word of Adonai came to me: 15 “Human being, it is to your kinsmen — your brothers, your relatives and the whole house of Isra’el — that the people living in Yerushalayim have said, ‘Get away from Adonai! This land has been given to us to possess!’ 16 Therefore, say that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘True, I removed them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries; nevertheless, I have been a little sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’ 17 Therefore, say that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘“I will gather you from the peoples and collect you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give the land of Isra’el to you.” 18 Then they will go there and remove all its loathsome things and disgusting practices, 19 and I will give them unity of heart. “I will put a new spirit among you.” I will remove from their bodies the hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh; 20 so that they will live by my regulations, obey my rulings and act by them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts go after the heart of their loathsome things and disgusting practices, I will bring [the consequences of] their ways on their own heads,’ says Adonai Elohim.”
22 The k’ruvim lifted their wings, and the wheels were next to them, with the glory of the God of Isra’el over them, above. 23 Next, the glory of Adonai rose from within the city and stood over the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24 Then a spirit lifted me up and brought me, in the vision, by the Spirit of God, to the exiles in the land of the Kasdim; after which the vision I had seen left me. 25 So I told the exiles everything Adonai had shown me.
6 Therefore, leaving behind the initial lessons about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of turning from works that lead to death, trusting God, 2 and instruction about washings, s’mikhah, the resurrection of the dead and eternal punishment. 3 And, God willing, this is what we will do.
4 For when people have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become sharers in the Ruach HaKodesh, 5 and tasted the goodness of God’s Word and the powers of the ‘olam haba — 6 and then have fallen away — it is impossible to renew them so that they turn from their sin, as long as for themselves they keep executing the Son of God on the stake all over again and keep holding him up to public contempt. 7 For the land that soaks up frequent rains and then brings forth a crop useful to its owners receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it keeps producing thorns and thistles, it fails the test and is close to being cursed;[a] in the end, it will be burned.
9 Now even though we speak this way, dear friends, we are confident that you have the better things that come with being delivered. 10 For God is not so unfair as to forget your work and the love you showed for him in your past service to his people — and in your present service too. 11 However, we want each one of you to keep showing the same diligence right up to the end, when your hope will be realized; 12 so that you will not become sluggish, but will be imitators of those who by their trust and patience are receiving what has been promised.
13 For when God made his promise to Avraham, he swore an oath to do what he had promised; and since there was no one greater than himself for him to swear by, he swore by himself[b] 14 and said,
“I will certainly bless you,
and I will certainly give you many descendants”;[c]
15 and so, after waiting patiently, Avraham saw the promise fulfilled. 16 Now people swear oaths by someone greater than themselves, and confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. 17 Therefore, when God wanted to demonstrate still more convincingly the unchangeable character of his intentions to those who were to receive what he had promised, he added an oath to the promise; 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in neither of which God could lie, we, who have fled to take a firm hold on the hope set before us, would be strongly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as a sure and safe anchor for ourselves, a hope that goes right on through to what is inside the parokhet, 20 where a forerunner has entered on our behalf, namely, Yeshua, who has become a cohen gadol forever, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek.[d]
16 He called down famine on the land,
broke off all their food supply,
17 but sent a man ahead of them —
Yosef, who was sold as a slave.
18 They shackled his feet with chains,
and they bound him in irons;
19 until the time when his word proved true,
God’s utterance kept testing him.
20 The king sent and had him released,
the ruler of peoples set him free;
21 he made him lord of his household,
in charge of all he owned,
22 correcting his officers as he saw fit
and teaching his counselors wisdom.
23 Then Isra’el too came into Egypt,
Ya‘akov lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 There God made his people very fruitful,
made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
and treat his servants unfairly.
26 He sent his servant Moshe
and Aharon, whom he had chosen.
27 They worked his signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and the land grew dark;
they did not defy his word.
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the royal chambers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of insects
and lice throughout their land.
32 He gave them hail instead of rain,
with fiery [lightning] throughout their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees,
shattering trees all over their country.
34 He spoke, and locusts came,
also grasshoppers without number;
35 they ate up everything green in their land,
devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their strength.
27 Don’t boast about tomorrow,
for you don’t know what the day may bring.
2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth,
a stranger and not your own lips.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.